Dana White on Matt Hughes: 'I'd really like to see him retire,' but expect pushback

He has nothing left to prove, White argued. He’s one of the greatest
welterweights in MMA history. And Hughes has enough money to feed a
small nation with country breakfasts.

But when Hughes arrives in Las Vegas in a couple weeks to meet with the UFC’s head honcho, White knows he’s going to have an argument coming his way.

“He’s coming out to Vegas, him and wife, and meeting with me in the next couple weeks,” White today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) following a UFC 136 press conference. “I think before Halloween.”

Hughes (44-9 MMA, 18-7 UFC) fought earlier this month and suffered a first-round knockout loss to Josh Koscheck, which was his second straight defeat after a three-fight win streak quietly got him back into contention. However, with back-to-back KO losses, White hopes the 37-year-old UFC Hall of Famer doesn’t travel a familiar path. But regardless, he’s got a permanent home in the sport.

“It doesn’t matter what he says and what he wants to do; Hughes is going to be with us forever,” White said. “Whether he talks me into doing [a fight] one more time – which I prefer he didn’t; I’d rather he didn’t – I’d really like to see him retire. I get to his point with these guys – him, Chuck Liddell, these guys who dominated all these years and were such a large part of us growing. (I’m like), ‘Why? What’s next?’

“Matt Hughes, believe me when I tell you, he doesn’t need money. He’s set. He doesn’t ever need to work again. He doesn’t need to fight again. He has plenty of money.”

Hughes, of course, isn’t the flashiest fighter outside the cage. Aside from a John Deere tractor, he doesn’t boast about his vehicles. He doesn’t wear gaudy jewelry. And Hillboro, Ill., doesn’t exactly have a glitzy nightlife.

But White is preparing for the born-negotiator to arrive in Sin City for the sit-down. And he knows he needs to have his game face on.

“He’s the worst,” White joked. “He’s the absolute worst. The worst. When I go in and give bonuses to all the fighters at the end (of an event), he’s always negotiating in there for everybody. On ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ he was always arguing for money for the guys. He was the worst.

“So yeah, if he wants to keep fighting. it’s not going to be a fun conversation. He’s going to be negotiating and busting my balls and everything else. I’d love to see him just hang it up now. We’ll do something else together. He doesn’t need to fight anymore. I don’t want to see it anymore.”

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